KDs are designed/developed/inspired/mused/auto-suggested/indigested to make folks think; an especially uncommon experience among Democrats, Republicans, and jingoistic mainline denominationalists who continue to discourage dissent with their ever-threatening thought police.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Scratching the Surface of Daniel

Yes, we've
heard it so many times and it's not a stretch to fill in the blanks with the right words.

How about
incarnation?

Now that's a real
stretch!

A desert hermit
concluded, "Idle talk is wasted time...There is plenty of chattering going
on today, but what we need is action...God prefers the application of faith
instead of pointless conversation."

That's a pret'
near perfect paraphrase of James: "Put the word into action...Do what it
says...Show me your faith!"

Not too long ago,
I had this painful exposure of my resistance to stretching enough to the right
thing for His glory and my own benefit:

I met her in the grocery store.

It had been a long time.

Small talk.

Then she asked, "Do you want to know

why we...?"

I did not indulge that curiosity; inquiring

instead, "Do you recite the Lord's Prayer

very often?"

With a smile unable to conceal her

incredulity, she snapped, "Of course,

why, of course, yes, all the time; but

why do you ask something so silly?"

To betray belief, spice was added, "I

was wondering how we can relate to

the part about forgiving and being

forgiven."

Faith is more
than theory.

It is or is not acted out.

More often than
not, faith's integrity is tested most when
the going gets tough.

Do we walk the
talk when it's a personal path called Calvary Road?

Daniel and his
friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego come to mind.

They were Jews
living far from the holy land in Babylonian captivity - drafted to serve pagan
kings with ego issues larger than guests on late night television; meaning they
expected to be idolized.

The heat was
turned up when they refused to worship anyone but God.

Daniel's friends
were thrown into a furnace; but protected by God's intervention.

Daniel himself
was thrown into a den of hungry lions because he refused to accommodate his
faith for anyone who demanded allegiance due God alone; but protected by God's
intervention.

God knows there
are lots of funky visions and images and dreams in Daniel that have caught the
attention of the eschatologically obsessed; and while some think they know who
and what and where and when and why and everything else that no one of any
lasting credibility seems to get, I don't get it and I'm not even going to add
another guess to the mix.

Besides, as
Grandpa Kopp said, "Don't miss the forest for the trees!"

The big thing
about Daniel is God protects people who walk the talk sooner or later, usually
sooner than later, and definitely in the end.

Though Daniel and
his buddies were in deep do-do because they refused to bow down before anyone
but God, God is deeper and broader and bigger and truly divine enough to pull
people out of the pits who stick with Him even when things get really tough.

Even when
captive, believers remain confident in God to deliver!

God's people are
always released from captivity through confidence in Him - sooner or later,
usually sooner than later, and definitely in the end.

When faith is
more than theory, His salvation is factual.

When we walk the
talk, salvation's path is certain.

When the going
gets tough, the faithful don't turn back or turn aside or turn away but turn towards Him and
are safe and secure sooner or later, usually sooner than later, and definitely
in the end.

Of course, it's
impossible to walk on water unless we get out of the boat and take His hand.

Think about it.

Really, what are
the choices?

When the boat is gonna
sink anyway, the only logical as well as faithful decision is to take His hand.

Whether we're
caught in the blazing furnaces or lions' dens of life, we can escape.